Utility vehicles such as tractors with internal combustion engines have engine cooling systems that draw air from a front grille through a radiator into the engine compartment. The engine cooling system typically includes a radiator assembly with a cooling fan surrounded by a shroud. The cooling fan may be provided to force flow of cooling air across the radiator. The radiator may be disposed forwardly of the cooling fan, and the cooling fan may be disposed forwardly of the engine.
Optimum performance of the engine cooling system requires the tractor front grille be sealed to the fan shroud, so that air flow must be through the grille. The seal also should block or minimize air flow around the first or engine side of the radiator assembly (i.e., the hot engine compartment) to the second or cool side of the radiator assembly (i.e., facing the front grille). Efforts to seal the tractor front grille to the fan shroud against air leakage have involved sealing materials to fill gaps between the bottom and sides of the radiator assembly, and the grille and/or side panels extending rearwardly from the grille. For example, foam or rubber sealing material may be used to fill any gaps between the radiator assembly and the grille and/or side panels. An improved, simplified, stronger and less costly mounting arrangement between a tractor front grille and shroud is needed that provides a seal between the grille and shroud.
In many tractors, a battery may be positioned forwardly of the radiator on a battery tray mounted to the tractor frame or fan shroud using mounting hardware. Installation or removal of the battery from the battery tray can be difficult. An improved, simplified, and less costly mounting arrangement is needed that can support a battery behind the tractor front grille, and to provide easy access to remove or service the battery.
In addition to the radiator, fan, and fan shroud, the radiator assembly may include structural components that support the radiator and fan shroud and/or attach those structures to the frame or body of the tractor, parts that seal the radiator assembly and air intake passages, and auxiliary items such as coolant recovery bottles. As a result, a typical tractor radiator package has a large number of parts and requires substantial assembly time, at a significant cost. It is desirable to decrease tractor cost by providing a mounting arrangement between a tractor front grille and shroud that reduces the number of parts and shortens assembly time.